Winds of Change
by SeekingSolaceProject
Summary: [Warning: shonen ai] Can you feel the pains in life? Wrapped around you like they're chains restricting all your dreams. Do you wonder if there is a way? Do you feel the winds of change, soon this weight will fall away. HoroxRen, YohxHao
1. Mysteries

**Winds of change**

Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao

Rating: T for Teens, because of later chapters

Summary: No one knows what's heading their way, even if it's right before their eyes. They're both going through the same problems,but differently approaching their solutions. Each searching within their hearts for the right things to do with their lives.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Disclaimer: I don't know shaman king, although I wish I did...

* * *

Chapter one: Mysteries

The three friends sat on the school roof in silence, none of them moving…then suddenly the middle child burst out into laughter. The other two faces were priceless as their jaws remained on the ground in utter shock.

"You know no one can talk to him, I don't want one of my best friends to die just yet!" The short haired brunette nearly shouted as his older brother continued to laugh. "Hao-"

"What, is he scared?" He finally questioned as he suddenly stopped laughing and a serious look crossing his face. "Please, don't tell me-"

"Fine, I'll do it!" The bluenette shouted with a frustrated grunt. "Till the end of the school year, right? Then it's off!" His brows furrowed in annoyance. He just hated his friends so much sometimes.

"Horo, you don't have to do it, Hao's just being-" the youngest tried to defend his friend as the blue haired male gave him a death glare, mentally telling him to stop defending him because it would show that he was scared and weak.

"Come on Yoh, he's in a pissed off mood. He'll come talk to us when he's ready. Besides, he has a lot of planning to do," Hao teased before dashing off with his twin before Horo could send another death glare their way.

Tonight was going to be an interesting night, for he had to prepare himself for what was in store for tomorrow. Hopefully his teachers wouldn't give him a lot of homework. He sighed heavily to himself when the bell rang, maybe he would skip school just today so that he could gain the confidence to talk to the school-known loner.

------

"Horo, father wants to downstairs…" his younger sister said softly, peaking into his room. She knew that he always yelled at her whenever she entered his room without knocking, saying that it was a _man's room_. "He says he has _big_ news…"

"Go away, Pilika," he sighed out loud, scratching his head in frustration. "Can't you see that I'm doing something important right now? Tell dad to wait for awhile and I'll be down once-"

"Horokeu, get down here right now!" His father shouted, hearing everything that he said. Pilika quickly ran back down the stairs to avoid her brother's anger. "I'm giving you three seconds! Three…two…on-"

"I'm not a child anymore, dad," Horo stated, reaching their living room with a sigh. "I'm seventeen already, don't you know when to stop treating me like a kid?" He leaned against the door frame.

"You're still my little baby though…and…" he paused, trying to make it a little more dramatic, but Horo seemed uninterested in whatever his father was saying. "I'm getting remarried!" Both his kid's mouth dropped to the floor.

"What?!" Horo shouted once he regained his composure. "I thought that mom was-"

"You're mother is your mother, this woman is herself. I will never dare to compare them either, understood?" His voice was stern as he glared down Horo for even doing such a thing.

"I thought you loved her…" Horo mumbled under his breath as he turned his back to his father.

"What did you say?" The man asked in a threatening voice, now glaring at his son's back.

"I said, I thought you loved her!" He shouted, turning back around, glaring right back at his father.

"I do love your mother!" He pounded his fists onto the table as he stood in anger.

"You can only love once, dad! If you love this woman then you didn't love mother!" Horo punched the wall on his right. "You choose, father. You choose who you love…because to me, no one can take her place as my mother," his voice calmed down as he refused to make eye contact.

"I love them both, son. I love your mom, I love you, Pilika, and this woman. At least give her a chance," he sighed heavily. Horo always seemed to be able to press the right buttons to make him mad. "I'm not about to choose who I love."

"She has no chance against mom, that's for sure…" he started to walk back up the stairs. Man, today was a really bad day for him…first the dare then hearing that his father was going to remarry?  
"She has a sickly child…she said that he's constantly in the hospital because of his sickness, even I haven't met him…" Horo stopped in his tracks to listen to the rest of the statement. "At least treat her with respect."

"I'll see what I can do," Horo replied plainly as he continued his way back to his room. "I'm happy for you, dad…" he nearly whispered as he shut his door. There was always something inside of him that made him not be able to get along with his father, but maybe this was the beginning to a new relationship.

------

The blue haired male dragged himself to school, he wasn't even cleaned or nicely groomed. He spent most of his night and morning trying to gain the confidence to talk to _him_, in fact, he even had a _nightmare_ of him.

"Hey Horo, it's day one of _befriending the loner_," Hao smiled sweetly. He was a little too happy, I mean, Hao was never really a morning person. "Come on, don't look like that. Is this the first impression you want to give to him? I mean, if it is, man you'll have one hell of a friendship." He chuckled a little.

"Shut up, my head hurts…" Horo mumbled, trying his best not to suddenly fall asleep. "My father just told me yesterday that he was going to get remarried…" he sighed heavily. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad. I want to be happy for me dad, but it makes me sad that mom's being replace."

"You should be happy," Yoh simply stated, popping up next to the two older males without notice. "Your mom wants the best for her husband and her kids, that's why she guided him to another woman who she knows can take great cared of them." He smiled blissfully. "No one's being replaced, Horo. Your mother's memories will always be with you…and you can create new memories with this mother. No one's comparing them except for you…so let go of the past…"

"…" Horo sighed, Yoh was right. Pilika didn't complain, she was glad to have another female in the house again. Maybe Horo was just being too selfish.

"That was deep, Yoh…" Hao stated with a soft sigh. "Anyways, here comes Ren. Now, the dare is on!" He shouted, instantly pushing Horo to the younger male.

"Ah!" Horo shouted, bumping into Ren, though the younger boy didn't budge. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" his voice lowered to an inaudible whisper as Ren glared at him. "You see…my friends…" Horo tried explaining, realizing that his friends were no longer there.

"Move it," Ren harshly pushed Horo away, pounding the palm of his hand into Horo's chest, which caused him to lose breath for a few seconds as well as stepping back from the impact. Ren continued his walk to the school doors as a hand tried dragging him back, but once again, he didn't budge.

"I'm just trying to be friends with you, stop being so grumpy!" He tried jerking the purple haired male back to face him, but he stood his ground.

"Why, because your other friends abandoned you? I'm not stupid, idiot," he pulled his hand back. "And trust me, HoroHoro, touch me again and I'll have you begging for your life." His golden orbs looked at Horo through the corner of his eyes.

"Oh really now?" Horo bit back and quickly reached out his hand to touch Ren's shoulder. The lower classmen swiftly dodged his touch as his fist laid inches away from his left cheek.

"You live up to your reputation…a dumb, moron, idiotic, useless, class-clown, cold-hearted, selfish bastard." And for the first time, they made eye contact for longer than just a few seconds. Eventually, a crowd grew around them as Ren continued to stay in his position. Horo smiled faintly and slowly pulled back, their eyes still kept on each other as the other students began to chant a loud 'Fight! Fight!'

"You sure do live up to your reputation as well…the school-known loner with no friends because h-" Horo stumbled back from the impact. He clutched his cheek as small droplets of blood fell to the floor.

"It's useless talking to you, Horo-baka…" In that instant, the crowd grew silent and Ren turned, walking away with a frown still plastered to his face. Suddenly, there was uproar and Horo leaped over to Ren, tackling him down before he could react.

------

_"They're perfect, Ren," his mother said, glancing over to the boy who was doing his homework. Ren completely blocked out her voice, he was good at that. She just continued to go on and on about the perfect kids, the perfect family…and how perfect it'd be if she didn't have a divorced family._

_"You don't get it Ren, you'll be-"_

_"I get it, alright? I get how perfect these children are, I get how perfect this man is compared to the one that willingly left you and took your only daughter. I get it all mother…now please, I'm trying to do my homework." He sighed to himself. This was all that his mother would talk about for weeks and weeks._

_"I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to over do it…" she smiled faintly, although pain shot deeply into her heart. "I'll let you be now…" she stood to leave as she patted her only son on the back._

_"I'm sorry mom…I didn't mean it like that," he roughly scratched the top of his head. "Everything's just so frustrating right now. But…I want you to know that I'm happy for you. I mean, you deserve someone to love you after having to raise someone like me." He let out a weak laugh, trying to cheer up his mother._

_"It's alright, Ren. No one is as perfect as you in my eyes. Keep up the good work and make me proud, alright?" With that said, she left to her room and the house fell silent._

_"I always hurt her…" he mumbled to himself with a sigh. "What's wrong with me, getting mad because she found her happiness?" He, once again, tried to concentrate on finishing his homework before letting his mind drift off._

------

Bright golden eyes shot open as the shark head instantly sat up, realizing he was in the nurse's office. Next to him was the moron that tackled him, but why would he be unconscious?

"I see that you've finally woken up." The nurse didn't even turn to look at the boy. "Horo brought you in here and requested to stay by your side until you woke up, but it seems he went to sleep." She smiled faintly, still not moving her eyes from her computer.

"What an idiot," Ren said under his breath and the nurse finally turned to look at him in a confused manner. "I'll be going." He stood from the bed and bowed down before her. "Thank you for keeping me here."

"Where do you think you're going?" The _sleeping_ male questioned, quickly grabbing the small wrist. "I stayed here next to your side until you woke up and you're just going to leave me?" He opened one eye to give Ren's back a good look.

"You were the one that did this to me anyways, idiot," Ren replied, snatching his wrist back. "And I'm sure that the only reason you wanted to _stay by my side_ was because you wanted to sleep and skip class like the slacker you are." He grunted. "I don't have time to play games with you, now leave me alone." He walked out without anymore distraction.

Horo sighed in defeat, Ren was right…maybe he'll let the little boy win today, but tomorrow _will_ be different. Then finally, something hit him…_hard_. How in the _world_ did Ren know so much about him? He was _no where_ near popular and…_no one_ really talked about him because they didn't even know he existed. Then another thing hit him…_he knew his name_ before he even introduced himself. Alright, tomorrow will be his time to question the loner and maybe finally befriending him.

* * *

Please review! Thank you! Oh, and if anyone knows what Horo's dad's name is, please tell me. I'm afraid that he'll play and important role in here and I don't even know his name. I'll update soon, hopefully...if I gain enough inspiration from the reviews...haha. 


	2. If at first you don't succeed

**Winds of change**

Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao

Rating: T for Teens, because of later chapters

Summary: No one knows what's heading their way, even if it's right before their eyes. They're both going through the same problems,but differently approaching their solutions. Each searching within their hearts for the right things to do with their lives.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter notes: Sorry for not updating in a long time...I've been so addicted to Maple Story, if any of you play the game please tell me! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter...it's a little weird, not to mention that I've been drugged...right now, not when I wrote this chapter. I've actually finished this chapter a long time ago, just never had the inspiration to type it up...haha. Anyways, I've been sick for almost a week now...so I feel so tired because I took some meds and they're making me really sleepy...haha.

Disclaimer: I don't know shaman king, although I wish I did...  
**  
**

* * *

Chapter two: If at first you don't succeed… 

Ren sighed softly as he put on his shoes. His house was always empty and quiet no matter how much he thought that it wasn't. He fixed his tie quickly before opening the door to leave.

"Morning," a cheery voice said as Ren's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. "I thought that we should walk to school today, considering that we had a bad start yesterday," the bluenette grinned happily, though Horo didn't mention that he had a few questions to ask.

"I told you that I don't play games," his voice was venomous as he quickly locked his door and walked pass Horo. Most of their walk to school was in silence as Horo tried to start a conversation every once in a while.

"Come on Ren, lets call it truce and be friends. Yesterday was yesterday…today is today. Let the past stay behind you and live in the present." He smiled blissfully, catching up with Ren.

"Just shut up!" Ren shouted, turning around as he swung his arm at Horo's face, but was easily caught. "What do you know about my life anyways, you good for nothing moron?" He tried jerking his arm back, but it had a firm grip, unlike yesterday.

"I know absolutely nothing about your life, but if you're willing to share what you know about mines, I wouldn't mind listening." Horo smirked as his grip tightened around the tiny arm in his grasp.

W-what? I don't know anything about you…" Ren mumbled softly, backing up until he hit the school gate. Of course his arm was still in the grip of the upper classmen, so that just meant that Horo was too close for Ren's comfort.

And that explains how you knew my name and two friends that ditched me?" Horo whispered into his ear, pressing himself onto Ren unconsciously. "I know you must've found something interesting in me, that's why you did your homework like a good boy." He smiled faintly, though unaware of how close they actually were and the deep blush that was painted all across Ren's face.

H-Horo…"Ren mumbled, attempting to weakly push back. Horo continued to push his body into Ren's, which caused him to let out a very, extremely, soft moan.

Ren, you okay?" Horo questioned, pulling back after hearing the moan. "You sounded like you were dying." Horo finally let go of the arm that he was holding to check Ren's forehead, considering his face was all red.

You. Stupid. Moron!" Ren nearly shouted, punching Horo hard in the face before stomping away. Why in the world did he moan?! It wasn't enjoyable, in fact, it was the most least enjoyable thing he's ever felt in his entire life! He continued to curse at himself as he walked the rest of the way to school.

"Nice shot Horo, I think he's grown a likings to you," Hao said, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. After what seemed like long seconds of silent laughter, Yoh finally realized Hao was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe anymore.

"Hao, get a hold of yourself…he's trying his best," Yoh replied in defense for his bluenette friend as his patted his brother on the back. "Horo, you know we'll still be your friend if you back down. I won't think of you any differently, alright?" Yoh smiled blissfully at him. "You'll always be one of my best friends with or without the deal completed. Seriously, I know you're already having problems at home."

"Thanks for your concern Yoh, but I'll make him become my friend this year if it's the last thing I do," he smiled back at Yoh and quickly turned away. Fresh hot tears began to streak his pale face. "Damn you Ren…" he mumbled to himself, "For scrawny arms, you sure do punch hard!" He shouted, quickly bringing his hand up to cover the growing bump on his head.

"Come on Hao, let's go inside…we'll be late. I think we should let Horo be for awhile," Yoh sighed as he dragged his older brother into the school. Seriously, Horo didn't have to worry them so much by crying like that over a punch on the face.

"You're no fun, Yoh," Hao muttered with a pout as he let his younger twin drag him to school, leaving Horo behind.

"Friendship is nothing to be playing around with, let alone making it a dare. Something bad might happen in result of this." Yoh warned before sighing once more. Hao shrugged and decided to drop the topic.

------

Ren dragged himself to his first class, English. Why did he have to go and embarrass himself like that in front of Horo?! Once again, he began to curse at himself for doing something as stupid as that as well as even opening his dumb mouth about Horo.

"Ren," the female teacher said, tapping her ruler on his desk after calling his name multiple times. "Ren, are you listening to me?!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Ren shouted, pounding his hands on his desk and standing before he finally realized that he was in class, half way through the hour already. "I-I'm sorry…" he quickly sat back down and a deep blush crossed his face. Damn, his mom and Horo has got to stop interfering with his thought process.

"Daydreaming _again_, Ren?" She questioned, rolling her eyes as she turned to head back to the front of class. "Detention again today," she simply stated, getting class started again.

"But today's an important day for me, my mom…" he quieted down, realizing that everyone was listening to him. "I'll talk to you after class." He slightly pouted, once again letting his mind wander.

------

"Hey mom, I got detention again today…" he said softly into the phone. "No, it's a stupid reason," he sighed. "Yea, you'll have to go without me, bye." He hung up the phone and turned to leave to the detention room when he bumped into…Horo.

"Sorry buddy, I have to do something after school, but I can walk you back home…" Horo smiled blissfully, throwing his arm around Ren's neck. Ren quickly threw of Horo's hand, turning to him with a stern look.

"I'm not your buddy and I don't have time to play. I don't need you to walk me home either, I have other business I have to attend." He quickly walked over to the detention room and entered before Horo could question why. Horo stood there in shock, he thought Ren was always a good boy…why was he getting detention? He decided to leave that question for later, just like all the other questions.

"You're always full of surprises, Ren," Horo mumbled to himself with a wide smile. He quickly walked home and got dressed to meet his future mother. Pilika and his father were also very excited as they gathered together and left to the restaurant.

"Oh my goodness, they're so adorable! They really are just like the perfect children, look at them." She smiled blissfully as she sat down and pinched Horo's cheek. "This must be Horo and this must be Pilika. He sure does get his great looks from you," she looked from Horo to his father.

------

"Mom, what are you doing home?" The purple shark head questioned, walking into the house soaked to the bone. It had been raining for hours on end and still, it's pouring. "I thought that you were going to meet the…dad…"

"I…" She was also soaked and her tears blended right in with the rain she had been standing in. "I was stood up…" she sighed, not wanting to worry her son.

"I'm sorry…" it was an auto-response from him as his gaze went to the ground in anger. "I should've came with you…I'm really sorry."

"It wasn't your fault Ren, you'll have another chance to meet him," she smiled faintly. "I'm sure this isn't-"

"I'm not going to let you see him anymore, mother! Can't you see that he hurt you? If he actually cared about you, he would've given you a phone call with a lame excuse!" He shouted, though not moving from his position.

"I know Ren…but I love him…" She stood from the position she was sitting in. "I'm tired, but I wanted to see to see that you came home safely. Good night," she simply stated before leaving to room. Ren knew that running away was something that she was good at.

"…I knew it…why am I so stupid?" He mumbled to himself through gritted teeth. He knew that it was going to be another one of those nights where he would stay up the whole night listening to his mother's cries. I guess that's when it all started, that's when he started to grow numb to everything around him and slowly started dying.

------

"Hey Ren, I waited at your door this morning, why are you at school so early anyways?" The bluenette questioned, finally spotting the Chinese in the library.

"To get away from _you_," he sighed, still keeping his eyes on the book he was reading. "And Horo, if only for today, don't bother me anymore…I'm seriously not in the mood."

"Hey, what do you mean? You know, you're not the only one in the whole world with a problem," Horo pouted. "And so, Ren, if only for today…let's be friends and talk about what's bothering you," he grinned widely, messing with the shark head's hair, which caused him to quickly glare at him.

"This is _my_ problem, Horo…not yours, stop being all friendly with me. You know my reputation, you know what people say about me front and behind my back. Why are you so persistent on being my friend?" His voice was soft and filled with a hint of pain.

"_Your_ problem is _my_ problem…because you're my friend and I don't care about a reputation, I don't care about what people say…I want to see it all for _myself_. I want you…Ren…" He smiled softly at the Chinese, not realizing that what he had said could be taken two different ways.

"Horo…" Ren mumbled before standing. "I don't have any friends and I plan on keeping it that way," he sighed before turning to leave.

"I may not be _your_ friend, but you're _my_ friend…" Horo simply stated, which made Ren stop in his tracks. "I don't know much of anything about you and I want to learn, but if you continue to push me away…there's nothing I can really do."

"I love you, Horo…that's how I knew so much about you. I've always admired you from afar, and when you suddenly talked to me…that feeling is indescribleable. That's why I can't be friends with you, alright?" He didn't even care to look back at Horo's reaction.

* * *

Thanks to all who reviewed...I love you guys...and I hope that you guys liked this chapter, not to mention...hope that it was what you were hoping for too! I know the ending was kind of weird...haha...but it's okay...it'll work out in the end! 


	3. Try and try again

**Winds of change**

* * *

Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao

Rating: T for Teens, because of later chapters

Summary: No one knows what's heading their way, even if it's right before their eyes. They're both going through the same problems,but differently approaching their solutions. Each searching within their hearts for the right things to do with their lives.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter notes: Ren is very out of character in this chapter, though I hope not too much. I needed Ren to act this way, just in this chapter. Not to mention that I got kind of bored of this fic, so I started a new one...O.o...man I have too much free time! I started to write chapter four already and I need help thinking up of some more problems or cute things they could do together as friends! Just friends...for now. Hehe, I know how I want to end it already, so no matter how much it changes, it'll still have the same ending! Unless it totally doesn't match. Thanks for reading this far into the fic already!

Disclaimer: I don't own shaman king, although I wish I did...

* * *

**Chapter three: Try and try again**

"Come on, if he likes you then it should be easier for you to become his friend, right?" Hao questioned, a little confused on Horo's situation. "I mean, seriously, if you like someone, you want to be close to them. I'm sure he's just playing hard to get."

"But if he said the reason why he loved you is the reason why he can't be friends…then I suggest you respect that, Horo," Yoh simply stated, falling back into the pillows on the bed.

"…I know…" Horo sighed. Right when Horo regained his composer from Ren confessing, he ordered an important meeting at his place that night…and here they are, discussing.

"If it's really bothering you, just pretend that you never heard it," Hao suggested, looking like he was in deep thought. "I mean, it'll be mean or rude, but it's just another option."

"Should I end it…and just tell him that it was a…dare?" Horo furrowed his brows, not really wanting to let go of the little, tiny relationship that he had built in the pass three days.

"Don't tell him that," Yoh quickly responded. "You can tell him you want to end it, but don't tell him it was a dare. Seriously, if the one that you loved talked to you and you found out it was a dare…how would you feel?" Yoh questioned, looking up to the ceiling.

"He does have a good point there, Horo…" the long haired brunette stated, leaning back onto his younger brother's stomach.

"Then what should I do?" Horo let out a big huff, trying his best not to scream out in frustration. "I don't want to end it, but I want to respect that he doesn't want to be friends."

"Horo…if at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Sometimes, you just have to be selfish. Sometimes respecting what people want isn't the best for you or for them. If you seriously think that moving forward in the relationship will help, then go for it." He slowly closed his eyes and took in a deep breathe.

"Even if it started out as a dare, we'll back you up all the way, got it?" Hao smiled, now looking up at the ceiling as his head moved in rhythm with Yoh's stomach.

"Thank you…" Horo mumbled, turning to look out his pitch black window. A soft smile found its way onto his face as he began to slightly relax.

"Sorry to bother your guy talk but…dinner's ready," Pilika said, standing at the door with her arms crossed. All three males jumped and instantly sat up to look at the female. How long had she been standing there, they wouldn't have known.

"I know I'm cute, but stop staring already." She smiled happily as she ran down the stairs before any of the boys could ask questions.

"Does she always do this to you?" Hao questioned, turning to Horo who gave him a slight nod. "That's why I hate girls."

"Hao," came Yoh's immediate response to his older twin's last comment. "Make stupid jokes like that one more time and I swear I'll never sleep with you again."

Horo gave them both an awkward stare, raising his brows in confusion. "I didn't know…"

"Not like that, Horo!" Yoh shouted, quickly give him one of his not so famous glares. "Hao has some sleeping problems…and he always asks to sleep in my bed with me," he pouted slightly at Horo's stupidity and his brother's evil smirk.

"Though I wouldn't-ow!" Hao shouted, rubbing his head from the sudden pain.

"Let's just go eat already, the food's gonna get cold if you two continue to talk nonsense like that," Horo stated, jumping off the bed and walking out his bedroom door.

------

"Ren honey, there's a handsome young gentleman waiting at the door for you, he wants to walk you to school," his mother giggled happily, knowing full well that her son liked the same gender.

"I'm not talking to him, tell him to go away and that I'm sick or something." He quickly finished putting on his tie and started to tuck in the bottom half of his shirt.

"Fine, but you must tell me about him when I get back from work, or else." She smiled before leaving to the front door again.

"I'm sorry if I didn't introduce myself, I'm Horokue Usui," Horo quickly bowed, mentally kicking himself for forgetting something as important as his name.

"Horokue as in…Horo?" She questioned and Horo quickly looked up to the female in a confused manner before nodding. "No wonder you looked so familiar," she smiled innocently.

"Look…familiar?" Horo questioned. "Have you seen me somewhere before?"

"You're the boy that Ren likes. My goodness he talks about you all the time, you should even see his room…it's full-"

"Mother…" Ren said, standing right behind her. "What are you doing talking to him like that?"

"M-morning Ren, I dropped by to walk you to school again today," Horo stated, trying his best to make the redness in his cheeks disappear.

"I'm sorry Ren, it just came out." She smiled sweetly, turning to her son and giving him a slight wink. "I'll see you when I come home, be good now." She turned back to Horo. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope to see you again sometime." She swiftly walked by him, leaving the two males.

"I…was hoping that we…" he instantly broke the eye contact, bringing his gaze to the ground, his cheeks growing a brighter red color. "I mean…"

"Just shut up, idiot. I'm still not in the mood to deal with you," Ren sighed, rolling his eyes as he pushed pass Horo with a slight grunt.

"I just want to be friends with you!" Horo accidentally shouted, though he didn't turn to look at Ren. "I mean, it doesn't bother me that you like me, well…I acknowledge it but, I just want to be friends and if it grows later, then…it grows," he fiddled with his thumbs, unsure of the words that were coming from his mouth.

"I love you, I don't like you. I acknowledge the fact that you want to be my friend, but I just don't want to be _your_ friend. Get that straight, moron," Ren instantly replied, not caring to look back at him either. "Plus, I'm…" his voice faded away, he was unsure if he wanted to tell Horo the truth or not.

"Fine, if you don't want to be my friend, that's perfectly fine with me," his voice was harsh as he quickly turned around to face the Chinese's back. In that instant, Ren felt his heart shatter, the seconds felt eternal as he lost breathe, though he tried his best not to show and of the painful expressions.

"That's…perfectly fine by me…" the purple hair managed to cough out while holding back the pain in his voice as his hands clutched into fists.

"But you're _my _friend. I'm not sure if you really do love me and hold me dear to your heart, but all my friends live within my heart. Even if you don't want it, you have a home right there waiting for you to come to it." He clutched onto his chest with a faint satisfied smile.

At first the Chinese was speechless and all the reasons why he loved and adored the Ainu male finally returned since three days ago. "I don't need a place in that pathetic organ that all your friends have." His hands went up to his backpack strips as he tightly clutched onto them. _And if you knew, Horo, you wouldn't want to be my friend._

"Wait, Ren…" Horo ran after him, debating to himself whether he should grab the younger boy's hand and stop him. Finally, he took a deep breathe and gained enough courage to slowly reach out his hand and attempt to stop the Chinese.

"I lied, Horo. I told you that I loved you, hoping that you would leave me alone. Now you know the truth, I hated you with all my heart and wished that maybe…you would start to like me so that I can crush you. That is the true reason why I cannot be your friend," he clutched his teeth, hoping that this lie would save him from a friendship that was being born.

This time it was Horo's turn to become speechless. Some reason, it hurt more than anything he's ever felt before even though Ren constantly rejected his friendship, maybe because it was one of the first things that he tried so hard to keep. "You're lying…" Horo whispered as he finally grasped onto Ren's tiny wrist. "Don't say-"

"It's the truth, damn it!" Ren shouted, pulling his hand away. "If it's too hard for you to face, then just leave me alone!" He shut his eyes, holding the growing tears back as best he could. "I don't even want anything to do with you anymore." He finally started walking away again before the other could see the tears that stained his cheeks.

------

"Now what?" Hao questioned, pondering over his friend's situation. "From what I see, he hurt you pretty bad, so…it's pay back time. Come on Yoh, let's go beat his sorry ass for messing with our friend," he stood from his seat with an angry expression.

"Pay back won't help with anything…" Yoh whispered, still hugging his semi-crying friend. "If you want, Hao and I can try talking to him…and _just__talking_, no fighting or pay back."

"Come on, just a few punches, it won't hurt half as much as how he hurt Horo!" Hao shouted, getting angry at his younger twin for having such a kind heart.

"Hao, it won't solve anything. Plus, he said he hated Horo too, so it just means that Horo must've hurt him equally as much for him to think of such a plan like that." Yoh looked eager to figure out the plan that Ren was behind. "I mean, think about it, you don't start hating someone just for the heck of it."

"But what could Horo have done?" Hao questioned, trying to defend his friend from his twin brother. "Seriously, he wouldn't hurt a damn fly, Yoh!"

"The slightest, painless, smallest things to you could be a big, huge, painful impact to someone else. Now we won't know why Ren hated Horo so much until we get to know him a little…" Yoh said in a defensive voice.

"Fine, you talk to him yourself because if I see that kid, I'm going to sock him in the face, got it?" Hao turned his back on the two, anger building up inside him.

------

"So, did you two walk to school together?" Ran questioned, peeking into her son's room with a faint smirk. "He's such a handsome young boy, you know if you and him…" she continued her rant about the two males while Ren just sat in silence.

"Mom, there is not _us_…the only chance I had, I blew it. I told him I hated him…I actually said that I hated him…" the young boy nearly whispered, burying his face into his pillow. "I don't even know why I said it, but it hurts so much now, mom."

"Ren…" his mother pushed her way into the room, sitting on the edge on her son's bed. "It's okay, don't worry about it too much. Plus, I'm sure that…Horo will come around sooner or later." She smiled faintly, trying her best to cheer him up, though she had never seen him in such a state before.

"He won't come back, mom. No one ever comes back…" he shifted his head to the side to take in the air he was deprived of. _No one ever comes back to me._

"Then do the only thing left to do…" she gently caressed his leg, attempting to comfort the young boy.

"What?"

------

The door creaked open as the female stared at the short brown haired male at their front door. "Can I help you?" She questioned, fully opening the door to reveal herself.

"Is this where Ren Tao lives?" The younger male politely questioned, bowing his head down to show his respect.

"Yes it is, but he left to school already. Did you want me to tell him that you dropped by when I see him again?"

"No, no thank you," he smiled gently before leaving the front steps. "Horo said that this was the time he usually came to pick up Ren," he mumbled to himself.

------

"G-good morning…" Horo nearly jumped upon hearing the voice as he fumbled with the keys in his hands. He quickly turned around to see the pair of golden eyes staring right at him.

"R-Ren…" Horo managed to chock out with a shocked expression. He wasn't ready to face the Chinese yet, that's why he sent his friend over instead of going himself. But Ren had come to his house that morning instead.

"I'm…sorry…" the Chinese mumbled just loud enough for the Ainu to hear.

* * *

Yea...it's kind of weird...it was Ren that said sorry at the end. O.o...Whoa, Ren saying sorry...I know. And well, he was completely OOC in this chapter, but I'll try my best to put him a little more into character in the next few chapters. Hehe, please review and thanks for reading. Once again, I'd just like to as for any ideas in friendship dates...or just cute things they could do together as friends...or problems that could go wrong. Anything is fine!

Please review, thanks a bunchies!


	4. Finally, the truth?

**Winds of Change**

* * *

Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao 

Rating: T for Teens, because of later chapters

Summary: No one knows what's heading their way, even if it's right before their eyes. They're both going through the same problems,but differently approaching their solutions. Each searching within their hearts for the right things to do with their lives.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter notes: Yoh is kind of out of character in this chapter...I think he was too uptight...but it was needed...at least in this chapter...haha. Anyways, I just finished writing it yesterday (it's 1:05 am right now) and so I motivated myself to type and post it...haha. That rarely happens. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, this chapter actually turned out to be a lot longer than I wanted it too, maybe because I wanted it to end at a certain spot...though earlier in the chapter wouldn't have hurt either! xD Enjoy and leave a review, thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own shaman king, although I wish I did...

* * *

Chapter four: Finally, the truth? 

"He came to school early today so I didn't get to talk to him," Yoh simply stated with a loud sigh. "I would've thought that he went over to your place, Horo." He turned to give his blue haired friend his full attention.

"What?" Horo questioned, shaking his head to block out the thoughts floating through his mind. "No, I didn't see him this morning." His gaze went to the ground in disappointment. "But...I'll try talking to him again..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yoh questioned, furrowing his brows. "You seem very spaced out, not to mention..." he faded away with a sigh as he turned away with a sigh. "Never mind."

"Hey, don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine." Horo smiled blissfully, though Yoh could tell it was just so perfectly fake. "By the way, where's Hao?"

"He didn't want to come to school with me, we got into an argument," Yoh simply replied, voice dull. "He really hates Ren, you know? I mean, if I wasn't his brother and all...I'd think he liked you or something...but I know for a fact he doesn't." He smiled faintly.

Horo remained silent, pondering hard about Yoh's comment on Hao's feelings towards himself. How could he be so sure about his brother's feelings, not to mention that when he really thought about it, it did seem like he liked him as more than just a friend. Brothers don't tell each other everything, even if they're twins.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Horo said softly as he slowly fell behind Yoh's pace. "I mean...he was the one that suggested the dare."

"That was before he knew that Ren liked you. Not to mention, him and Ren could act very similar sometimes." He turned around, facing Horo with a stern look. "I'm saying this to you as a friend...the time may come when you have to choose between Hao and Ren."

"What?" He stepped back in utter shock. Why would he have to choose between two friends? He didn't even fully understand Ren yet and he's already forced to let him go? If Hao really didn't like him, then what could possibly drive him into a corner like this?

"Hao is very caring inside...he acts without thinking. So I can assure you that he will say some painful words to Ren that'll make him drift from you. When that time comes, you'll have to choose between the two." He looked away, turning his back to his friend again. "At least that's what I'm assuming."

"How can you say something like that and end with _'at least that's what I'm assuming'_?" Horo questioned in a painful tone. "If you really think that, then why don't you try to stop him.?"

"You think I haven't tried? He's going to do this for you, not for me. So he wouldn't care about what I say, if you really want him to stop, then you try convincing him." He sighed loudly, he hated being in the middle of a complicated relationship.

"Fine, I'll talk to him tonight," Horo mumbled before stomping pass Yoh without another word said. Yoh wanted to speak up and tell Horo to talk to him sooner, but he already promised Hao that he wouldn't ruin their moment. Yes, Hao was going to cut class to talk to Ren before Horo could get the chance to convince him otherwise.

------

"You got it?" Horo questioned with his brows furrowed. Hao just sighed, not replying or even looking at the blue haired male. "Hao, don't hurt him or anything like that, he's a human being just like you and me."

"Why do you care about him so much anyways? Before you started talking to him a few days ago, you wouldn't have cared if I made fun of him or not, in fact, you'd be making fun of him with me." Hao childishly pouted as he turned away.

"Come on, that was before I knew the dude," Horo commented back, just as annoyed as Hao was.

"You think you know him now?" Hao questioned in a amused voice as he glanced at Horo. "Why do you think he avoided you? Why did you think he make up those lies about not wanting to be your friend? Don't you get the point Horo, he just doesn't want you in his life."

Horo looked hurt, it was true...maybe Ren really did hate him. "But he said sorry..." he barely whispered. "He said sorry to me this morning."

"But you said that you didn't see him..." Yoh finally commented, a bit ashamed at his friend for lying to him.

"I..." Horo started but thought otherwise. It was a complicated reason that the twins wouldn't understand.

"That's fine, I won't talk to him..." Hao commented as soon as he felt the tension in the air. "I promise," he added when he realized that Horo wasn't content with his answer.

"Thank you..." Horo smiled and Yoh grew silent again. He thought about saying something but thought against it, considering that it'll only bring more drama between the two.

------

_"Hey Ren," the older Asakura said, trying ti get the younger male's attention, though he failed. "Hey kid, don't make me resort to physical matters."_

_"What do you want, Asakura?" Ren replied, though he didn't turn to look at the male. "If this is about HoroHoro, then I don't-"_

_"I don't care what you want!" Hao shouted as he punched the wall. "He wants to be your friend..." his voice lowered but it still held it's venomous tone._

_"I don't want to be his friend..." Ren slowly replied with a hint of sadness. "I never asked for him to be my friend."_

_"It was my mistake..." Hao sighed as he grabbed Ren by the shoulder and forcefully turned him around. "At least I'm able to say that I'm the one to blame for this ever happening. Why can't you take your own responsibilities?" His grip tightened on the Chinese's shirt._

_"He is not my responsibility, I never wanted-" before he could finish, the impact to his face cut him off. It wasn't that he was surprised that Hao had hit him, because he was completely expecting that, but maybe the fact that it came so soon._

_ "You are one selfish little brat, I don't know why he's trying so hard to get to know you."_

_"Me either," Ren simply replied as Hao threw another punch, though this time Ren didn't hold back, he punched right back. For a few minutes the two boys went at it, fighting till no end. Though Hao knew that Ren wasn't putting in his full power, the reason was unknown but he didn't care anyways._

_"Go near him again and you'll get more than just a beating..." Hao breathed heavily as his stopped his fist from flying just two inches away from the other's cheek. He tried as best he could to hold back the rage, but it was just too much to hold in and before he knew it, his fist had finished the job._

_Both males were bloody, both from each other's and their own. Hao stood from on top of Ren and began to walk away, of course Ren was also enraged too, and before he could comprehend what he was doing, he tackled down the older male as more blood was shed between the two._

_"Hao!" A distant voice shouted as footsteps were heard running closer to the scene. Ren stopped upon hearing the steps, which caused Hao to get the upper hand._

_"Hey, stop it Hao!" The voice shouted once more, this time the male was close enough to grab him and actually push him off the Chinese. "What do you think you're doing?!" _

_"That bastard started it!" Hao instantly spat out at his younger twin._

_"That doesn't mean that you have the right to beat him up like this, it's useless!" Yoh shouted back, annoyed at the stupid action his older brother had done. "You better apologize to him..."_

_"Like hell I would! He didn't apologize to Horo!" Hao shouted back, and before Yoh could comment back, Ren stood and walked limply away from the scene. "He deserved it," Hao mumbled._

_"He's a human being, he doesn't deserve a beating like that..." Yoh replied, glaring at his older brother. "I'm sure if HoroHoro found out, he'd run to Ren's side in a heartbeat."_

_"Hey, he's know me-" Hao was interrupted by Yoh's cell phone ringing. Yoh quickly picked it up with his casual 'Hello.'_

_"Oh, Hao had to stay after school for slacking in P.E today. Yeah, he's a little sweaty do I think we're going to go home and shower first..." Yoh simply replied. "Yep, we'll see you tonight. Don't worry, I'll be sure to bring Hao along," he chuckled lightly, trying to lighten the mood of his friend. "Alright, see you then."_

_"Thanks..." Hao simply stated after Yoh hung up the phone. His eyes dropped to the ground as he breathed in heavily._

_"If you do something like this again, I'm not covering for you anymore." Yoh stated before walking away, not caring to help his injured brother._

------

"Hey Horo..." Hao softly whispered, interrupting the silence that had built up around them. "I..."

"We have to head home, our parents wanted us back as soon as possible since it's a school night tomorrow...and Hao still has to clean..." Yoh interrupted, standing from his position. "I hope you don't mind."

Horo looked at Yoh than to Hao. "Um...no hard feelings." he finally replied, feeling something weird in the air. "Oh, and thanks again...Hao..."

"...don't mention it..." Hao stood, instantly turning his back to Horo. He gave Yoh a glare before rushing out ahead of his younger twin. Yoh just gave Horo a small smile before leaving as well.

They walked a good chunk of the way back home on silence before the longer haired male couldn't take what was tugging in his mind. He actually had been thinking about it since this evening, after his attack on the Chinese boy.

"Why did you lie to him?" Hao finally questioned, causing both males to stop in their tacks. "I was going to tell him, you know?"

"I know...that's why I had to lie," Yoh replied in a soft whisper, head hung low. "I know it's not like me to do this kind of thing...I don't know what took over me."

"I don't know either, but what I do know is that we're brothers...therefore you can't hide anything from me," Hao sighed deeply, mainly to himself, before he laced fingers with Yoh and began to slowly walk home again.

------

"Ren's not...feeling well..." his mother simply stated. She knew he was beaten to a bloody pulp yesterday, but he wouldn't tell her the reason. "I don't think he's going to school today," she smiled weakly.

"May I...see him?" Horo asked shyly, unsure if it was a little uncomfortable for him to be visiting this place so casually. "I have something important to tell him."

"He doesn't want to see anyone, I'm sorry..." she replied, her eyes falling to the ground. She knew that deep withing her heart, letting Horo see Ren would probably be the best idea...but she also knew that Ren would truly be angry with her.

"Is he really...just not feeling well...?" Horo questioned, noticing that there was something she was hiding. "I...really need to see him..." he gently held onto her wrist, eyes begging to see her son.

"HoroHoro...you know that Ren may not want to be just friends...why do you continue to push him to such extremes like this? He may act cold, but he's really a kind boy at heart..." by this time her eyes swelled up with tears that threatened to fall.

"Extremes...?" Horo questioned to himself in a low whisper. "Is he badly injured?"

"He blames himself for _my _sadness...he blames himself for everything and carries that burden of pain all by himself." The tears fell endlessly, whether she wanted them to or not. "So if you're going to just be another burden...please leave him alone."

"I..." Horo opened his mouth, beginning his sentence but instantly stopped. How was he suppose to know if he was a burden to Ren or not, only Ren himself would know that. "I do not want to be a burden to him, I want to be a friend...standing by his side in times like this..." he let go of her, hand falling limply to his side.

They stood in silence as the female dried up her tears. She debated with herself whether to let him on or not. Minutes passed before she decided to let him in, knowing that it was better for the three of them.

"I'm sorry if he got hurt on my account, I mean no harm to him at all..." he lowered his head, ashamed that he hurt Ren in such a painful way that even his mother was acting this way towards him.

"He came home yesterday...he was beaten so badly he wouldn't even look at me. I didn't even have time to treat his wounds. Since then, he locked himself in his room..." She simply stated, leading the boy to her son's room.

"Yesterday..." Horo mumbled to himself. Now that she mentioned it, Hao had a lot of cuts and bruises as well, but both males claimed that it was from P.E.

"This is it...he won't answer if you knock, but I know that he's in there..." She nodded to Horo with a soft, gentle smile. It was her way of telling him that she approved of him watching her son.

"...thank you..." Horo turned to face the door. He took in a deep breathe and opened his mouth to begin but was interrupted by the sound of the female's voice behind him.

"I know I'm not a good mother when I say this...but I must go to work, and it's probably wrong of me to ask you this as well...but can you watch him for me? I'm going to be home late and I'm worried about him. You can go to school...I'm sure he'll be fine for a few hours." She was ashamed that she had to leave her only son like this, but she was the only supporter for the two.

"It's alright, you go do your think and I'll watch over him," Horo replied. He smiled faintly, thinking back to his own mother and how she cared for them so much...how she worked so hard to get them the things that they wanted as selfish children.

He waited until the mother left before leaning against the door and sliding down into a sitting position. He didn't know what to do...he didn't know what to say to Ren after the beating that Hao probably did to him.

"Ren...I know you're in there..." Horo started, unsure if the male was sleeping or awake. "If you're awake, can you please open the door?"

"I don't want anything...to do with you..." Ren managed to reply with a broken voice. Horo was surprised that Ren even answered and instantly stood from his sitting position.

"Can you open the door for me?" Horo questioned again, facing the door with a gigantic smile. He didn't even comprehend anything that Ren had said, he was just too excited about hearing his voice.

"I said I didn't want anything to do with you!" Ren shouted, followed by a loud clash at the door, which startled Horo, causing him to step back. "Go away, I don't want to be anywhere near you...you disgust me..." he finished in a soft whisper, loud enough to be heard through the door. Silence filled the air and Ren knew that he was still on the other side.

"You know, just as well as I do, that...it's not true..." Horo replied in a soft, comforting tone. "Now, just open the door and let's talk face to face."

"I hate you...I hate you so much..." Ren mumbled, lips shaking from a mixture of sadness and anger.

"If you really don't want me here...just answer me this one question..." Horo leaned against the door, his forehead meeting the wooden surface. "I want to know the real reason...why you continue to push me away..."

There was a long deafening pause before Ren also stood to lean against the door, which surprised Horo that Ren actually moved, considering he imaged Ren to be in a bad physical state right now. "...because..." his voice was soft, unthreatening like how it normally was.

_Is this really the truth...or another lie...?_ Horo questioned to himself as he closed his eyes, concentrating on the small breathes that escaped the other male's lips, though it was barely heard through the door.

"I don't want to get close to anyone because..." his voice trailed off and another pause settled in. Ren slowly pushed himself forward and minutes passed before he unlocked the door, opening it slowly.

"...Ren..." Horo's eyes widened at the view of Ren, he looked a hundred times worse than Hao, but before he could finish scanning the boy, his soft voice caught his ears, almost like venom from a snake.

"I'm dying..." he breathed out, eyes falling to the ground. "That's the truth...and I swear it is," his voice was soft, so full of pain and regret.

* * *

Yea, I know what you're thinking...so far in every chapter, it has ended with Ren giving Horo another lame excuse as to why he doesn't want to be friends with him. Now, you decide...you think Ren's telling the truth here, or not? Oo...maybe depending on your reviews, I'll see what I want Horo to believe...sorry for the lame-ness...and the long time of not updating...plus the super stupid chapter! It's really not going my way right now...

LEAVE A REVIEW PLEASE! IT'S WHAT MOTIVATES ME TO CONTINUE THE FIC!!! And trust me, it's been hard to try to motivate myself...


	5. Don't expect

**Winds of change**

* * *

Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao 

Rating: T for Teens, because of later chapters

Summary: Can you feel the pains in life? Wrapped around you like they're chains, restricting all your dreams. Do you wonder if there is a way? Do you feel the winds of change, soon this weight will fall away.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter notes: Okay, so I actually finished writing it a few months ago...just never had the inspiration to type it up, lol. Anyways, I think Yoh is a little hard to understand so far...but I'll try to make more sense of his actions later on in the story. Well, I just recently started writing chapter six...not too sure when that one's gonna come out, lol. Well, hope you enjoying this so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own shaman king, although I wish I did...

* * *

Chapter five: Don't expect... 

The two males sat side by side on the edge of the bed, silence filled the thick air around them. It had been hours since the older female had left them alone and after the news, Horo decided to skip school. Small take raised between them every so often, but silence followed quickly after.

"I don't know..." the Chinese replied, slightly touching the bandage on his knuckles, which Horo had bandaged all of his deep wounds.

"You don't know what you're dying from?" Horo questioned with a puzzled look. "Why don't we go see a doctor?"

"No," Ren instantly replied, quickly turning his head to face Horo. "I just know...that I'm dying. I can feel it inside myself..." his gaze went to the ground.

"So, you're not even sure if you're actually dying..." Horo sighed, falling back onto the bed. "You shouldn't have announced it like you knew you had a terminal illness or something." A small smile tugged on his lips, at least he knew Ren wasn't actually dying.

"You don't get it..." Ren commented, eyes still stuck on the carpet floor. "I'm dying...I'm really dying and there's nothing anyone can do about it." His hands turned into fists as he tried calming himself down.

"How can you be so sure if you don't know what the illness is?" Horo questioned, bringing his hands up behind his head as his legs swung back and forth slightly. "The way you say it, it seems like..."

"It's complicated to explain...you wouldn't get it if you're not me." He let out a loud sigh, hands still balled into fists.

"Hey," Horo gently placed a hand on the younger boy's back. Ren jumped slightly upon the sudden contact. "Let's be friends and fight this illness together. What do you say?" He smiled blissfully at the Chinese who was now looking at him.

"Why? I'm dying...the time you spend with me will be useless..." his hands shook, not really from anger. "You'll only be pained in the end when I die..."

"No, I'll be glad I ever got to know you." He closed his eyes, a smile still plastered upon his gentle face. "I want to make...the best of your time. I want you to live a happy life and live without regret." He unconsciously let out a soft sigh, a sigh he had been holding in for a long time now.

"He did this to me and told me not to get near you again. The funny thing is, I was actually going to listen to him," he let out a small chuckle as his muscles relaxed a little. "...but you know Horo, I think that there's an extremely rare chance that I might be cured from my illness..." he, too, fell back onto the bed.

"That's good, at least I know that there's even the slightest of all hopes. Any sign that leads to hope is good for the human soul." He turned his head to face Ren, their nose just millimeters apart.

"...friends..." Ren softly replied, turning his head away with a faint smile as his cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink.

"Friends?" Horo repeated with a questioning look. An even bigger smile found it's way onto his face as he realized what Ren had said. He had actually given him approval to be his friend, he wondered how many people ever got that.

"Thanks, I won't let you down..." he gently laid his hand on top of Ren's arm as the younger male continued to look away. The pink on his cheeks turning into darker shades of red as the smile widened slightly at the statement and the touch.

"I'm not looking forward to much change, considering I've never had someone to determined to be my friend. So be patient with me...and I'll try to be patient with you too." His hand twitched slightly as he slowly moved Horo's hand off his own.

"I have my whole life to be patient with you..." He smiled faintly to the back of the Chinese's head. "Thank you...so much Ren."

"For what?" He slightly moved away, making more space between the two. "I didn't do anything..."

"You trusted me enough to open up to me...and that's the best thing anyone could do..." He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"I never said that I trust you...and I'm sure that I'm far from opening up to you as well." He gave out a soft sigh. He always hated being weak, having to depend on someone so heavily, like what friends do with each other.

"You opened up enough to call me a friend, and that's the best thing I could receive from you...friendship." He looked back to the Chinese, who was still turned away, looking out the window.

"You talk too much..." Ren rolled to his side, fully turning his back to the Ainu as he closed his eyes. "You know, silence is good sometimes too..."

"I know..." Horo stood from the bed after seconds of pure silence. "I'm going downstairs to make you something, rest up while you can...I want to take you somewhere when you get better." With that said, the Ainu walked out the door as the Chinese drifted off to sleep.

------

The twins looked around the entire lunchroom, running down the halls during passing period, even cutting a class just to find their friend that had gone _missing_.

"Maybe he really did skip school..." the younger twin softly said, looking pass the school gates as his other half leaned against it. "They called his house and even his father thought he was at school. It's just not like him to run away like this without telling anyone."

"Aren't you always the one that says '_I'm sure that he has his reasons_' so what are you so worried about? Hao let out a long sigh, closing his eyes to feel the breeze flowing by.

"...Hao..."Yoh sighed as well, he leaned against the gate. "Aren't _you_ worried about him?"

"Of course, I'm worried as heck ...but I'm almost positive-" a frown found it's way to his face as he was abruptly cut off by his younger twin.

"That he's with Ren?" Yoh finished in a questioning tone, looking away from his brother. Hao gave a slight nod even though his brother wasn't looking.

"I guess I really have nothing against them being friends, but it still does bother me somewhat..." he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What part bothers you?" Yoh questioned, sliding down to a sitting position. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with meeting new people and gaining new friends."

"I know...but..."he sighed. "It just bothers me that...that..." his voice faded out. He honestly didn't know what did bother him. "I just don't like that kid. I know there's nothing wrong with him, but I just don't like him," he mumbled softly.

"That's because you don't know him," Yoh smiled gently, looking up to his brother. "You said the same thing to me when we first met Horo...and he turned out to be a great friend. So just trust Horo with this, he knows what he's doing."

"But Horo was different," the older male slowly replied. "He was loud, friendly, talkative...he was always the class-clown..."

"Hey, it's alright," He sighed, a smile still on his lips. "Ren will never replace you..."

"What?" Hao quickly questioned as his eyes widened. Exactly where was his twin getting at with this?

"Ren's a lot like you. You both have many insecurities, secrets that you want to tell...but just can't. You guys have trusting problems...and when you trust someone, it's the best trust anyone in the world can gain." He closed his eyes to avoid the possible glare his brother might've been giving him. "So if you're worried about him replacing you, he's not going to."

"I..." he blinked a few times, letting Yoh's words sink into his head. "I_guess_ I was subconsciously thinking that..." Hao finally admitted, adverting his gaze to the ground. "Plus, I don't think I act like him."

"Stop lying to yourself," he bluntly replied with a faint smile on his lips. "You know very well that you act like him that's why you hate him so much."

"...no..." he softly said, lowering his head. "I, um..."

"You hated Horo for almost a year because you thought I was spending more time with him than with you. I'm not trying to be harsh with you or anything but, just accept the fact that people want to make new friends and still keep the old." He turned away from his brother. "I can kind of understand your feelings of being alone, but try ti understand us as well, okay?"

"Whatever, I don't want to talk about it anymore..." he began walking away, head still hung low. "I'm going home, you can go to Ren's place to see if Horo's there or not," he mumbled just loud enough for his twin to hear.

------

"...What is it?" The shark head questioned, poking at the food in front of him with a spoon. "Are you sure...I'm not going to get even more sick?" He said in a joking way, though his voice was dead serious.

"My mom use to make it for me all the time when I was younger. It helps your immune system fight off the disease and um...something about getting healthy skin." A finger placed upon his own chin as he tried to tink back to what his mother had told him.

"Well, you better be right...or else I'm going to haunt you when I die..." he glared to the blue haired male before taking a huge bite from the oatmeal like thing. He squished it around his mouth a few times before finally swallowing it.

"...H-how is it?" Horo questioned and silence filled the air. "It's not that bad, is it?!" He shouted in a questioning tone as an embarrassed look came across his face.

"Why are you asking me how it is, didn't you try it before you served it to me?" He questioned after swallowing it with a slightly sickened look.

The Ainu blinked a few times, dumbfounded, "...I-I did..." he lied, scratching the back of his head with a huge, nervous grin. "But you know, we're two different people, so-" he tried explaining but the knocking at the door interrupted the both of them.

"Hm, that can't be mom, it's way too early for her to be coming home," he said upon hearing the knocking, forgetting what they were talking about before.

"I'll get that..." Horo stated, instantly standing from his seat to answer it. Honestly, Ren thought it was kind of odd that Horo felt so comfortable over his place...he was even comfortable enough to answer their door.

Ren just eyed him until he was no longer in sight. His golden orbs looked back down to the food in front of him, he sighed softly before deciding to finish the home-cooked meal. He liked the taste of it, it had actually been awhile since he last had someone else cook for him.

"What are you doing here?" He heard a familiar voice question to, most likely, Horo, who was standing at the door. "Hao's worried about you, you know?" There was silence as the blue haired friend continue to keep quiet. "You should've called us or you dad...we were all worried."

"And you think I wasn't worried about Ren after your brother beat the living crap out of him?" Horo finally questioned in a cold tone, glaring at his friend.

"What Hao did was indeed wrong...but two wrongs don't make a right. Plus, he was going to tell you last night but I stopped him." He broke eye contact and instantly looked out the door.

"Why, why didn't you want him to tell me?" Horo questioned, his expression and voice hurt a little, though still keeping a stern hold in it.

"I honestly don't know, I guess I was jealous that he was paying more attention to you, so I didn't want your relationship to fall apart. I know he cares about you a lot...and I was convinced that it wasn't love..."

"You can take him back with you." Both males heard another voice behind Horo. "I'm feeling much better now, so you can leave, Horo..." He finished as the two older boys turned to look at him. "You have people who care about you and are worried...so go to them."

"But..." Horo tried to argue back, but found it pointless to argue with the glare that he was receiving from Ren.

"Take him with you, Yoh...I'll see you guys tomorrow." He quickly pushed Horo outside and shut the door behind him, locking it firmly. "Don't expect much change, Ren..." he mumbled to himself, trying to engrave that into his mind.

* * *

I know it seems a little hard to understand everyone...even I'm having a hard time trying to understand them too cause I haven't touched this story in, what seems like, forever. xD Well, just leave a review and I'll try in inspire myself to write and type the next chapter, lol. xD Thanks for reading...now just leave a review and we'll all be happy, YAY! 


	6. Hello Surprise!

**Winds of Change

* * *

**Pairings: HoroxRen, slight YohxHao

Rating: T but...next chapter it'll be M

Summary: Can you feel the pains in life? Wrapped around you like they're chains, restricting all your dreams. Do you wonder if there is a way? Do you feel the winds of change, soon this weight will fall away.

Author's notes: This is an AU, so it doesn't actually take place in the storyline. Wow, I haven't written a Shaman King fic in so long, but for some odd reason, I still can't seem to get over this couple. And...this was a old storyline that I just twisted around a little, although I deleted the old storyline story...it wasn't shaman king though, it was for Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter notes: Okay...it's been a year since my last update, lol. Well, sorry for the VERY slow update...but here it is. I decided to change a lot of things around, as you can tell, my writing hasn't changed much at all...cause I haven't written within that year break. Anywho, this chapter...is, I don't know...it's just weird and different. I decided to take a different turn with it cause I reread my previous chapters like...a million times and I still didn't know where I wanted to go, though I still know how I wanted the end, but that is going to change too. Erms, I hope you enjoy...to those who's been waiting forever, lol...and to those who's not...I don't blame you. It's not a story worth waiting a year for a one chapter update, lol.

Disclaimer: I don't own shaman king, although I wish I did...

* * *

_Chapter six: Hello Surprise!_

The liquid substance fell to the ground, the carpet floor quickly soaking it in as if it was dying from thirst. A sigh escaped the pale lips, his mother's beautiful vase was broken, the flowers and water littered the ground in a decorative way.

"When will you learn mom...when?" He questioned, gently picking up a wilting flower. His mother's gaze went to the ground in shame as she was unable to answer her son's simple question.

"...what about Horo?" She finally managed to question, trying to change the topic from herself to her son.

"This isn't about Horo, it's about you and your life mom," he sighed a defeated sigh, knowing that his mom wasn't going to give in.

"He's a fine, young boy, don't you think?" She forced a smile, knowing that he wasn't even looking at her. The room remained silent as Ren's thoughts flashed back to this morning, the time he spent alone with Horo.

"I'll clean this up then head off to bed, you just go to bed mom," Ren replied, standing from his crouching position.

"Ren, I want you to be happy too, you know? Just because my relationship isn't working out doesn't mean you shouldn't get the change either." Her tender voice held great passion and sorrow for her son, knowing that he's been carrying an unspeakable burden.

"Mom, I have my life handled and under my control, I don't want anyone right now." His hands tightened around the broken glass causing blood to slowly drip off his fingers.

"Goodnight..."

"Night."

---Afterschool---

"Have you guys seen Ren at all?" The bluenette questioned, still glancing around as he approached his twin friends. "He said he was going to be at school today, but-"

"Can you stand NOT talking about him for a day? You talk like you're best friends wth him now," Hao nearly shouted, annoyed about his bluenette friend constantly asking about the shark head the entire day.

"Maybe if you didn't go beating the crap out of him, I wouldn't ave to worry so much," Horo replied back, equally as loud in a defensive tone, eyes furrowed.

"What would you have done if you were me? What would you have done in my position?" Hao shot back, words dripping out like venom.

"I-" Horo never got the chance to answer before Hao quickly cut him off.

"Wait no, you've never been in my position before because I wouldn't have let a stupid person come into our relationship unlike you!" He shouted before walking off ahead of the two. Yoh remained silent, slowly turning around to face the older male. They stood in silence for a few minutes, both unsure of what to say.

"Go do what you want Horo, if you're worried about Ren then go to him, I can take care of Hoo," Yoh finally managed to state with a small smile. He knew Hao would've perferred for to tag along, but something inside Yoh made him start to kind of pity the Chinese for not having anyone.

"Thanks Yoh," Horo softly smiled back, "I'm sorry if what he said was true..." he turned to leave, knowing that Yoh wasn't going to actually tell him the truth.

Horo walked as fast as he could to the younger male's house, afraid that his condition might've gotten worse. Upon reaching the front door, he didn't have a second thought before bringing his knuckles hard on the door, making sure the other person heard. There was no answer for what seemed like an eternity for Horo.

"What are you doing here?" He heard the little Chinese question from behind him as he quickly jumped around with a wide smile on his face.

"Ren, you're okay!" He shouted, ready to jump the younger male but he quickly moved out the way, grocery bags still in hand.

"I can take care of myself, I don't need someone watching over me all the time," he stated with a sigh, walking pass Horo to his front door to unlock it.

"That's what I don't get about you, Ren."

"What?" He plainly questioned, no interested in the conversation.

"I don't get how one moment you're so open, vulnerable, you're so full of life," his brows furrowed in confusion. "And the next...you're just so cold, hardened, always pushing people away." Their backs still faced towards each other as silence quickly fell upon them.

"Go home," Ren finally said in a venomous tone, hands tightening around the bags.

"That's exactly what I mean," Horo turned around to face the Chinese's back, giving it a firm stare. "Being vulnerable doesn't show weakness."

"Go home, Horo." His voice sounding more venomous than before as e still refused to look at the Ainu.

"I'm not gonna go," he firmly stated, taking a step closer to the other male. "I know you don't mean what you're saying, you really want me to stay with you."

"Look at me Horo," he, too, turned around, looking the Ainu square in the eyes. "Am I lying to you?" He questioned and silence fell upon them again as Horo tried looking deep within those icy golden orbs.

"You can't put up that cold front with me. I know you hate being alone so-"

"You think you can storm into my life and know my exact thoughts within days? You don't know me HoroHoro, so stop your pretending, stop your illusions of me cause I want you to go...now." His nails began digging into his palm, reopening the cut from last night.

"I may not know you, but I've known people like you. So please...just let me in," he begged, eyes pleading.

"I'm different from them Horo, everyone is different," Ren plainly stated, eyes still focused on the upperclassmen's dark onyx orbs.

"Yes, you are different but every human mind plays the same tricks on them. It tells you you're alone, that no one cares, that you're unloved and unwanted and if you listen to that too much, you start to believe it...you start to push the only people who care away from you." His eyes followed the crimson droplet to the ground then he looked back up to the blood-covered bandage.

"Thirty minutes." Ren sighed in defeat turning back around, walking into his house and Horo quickly following after, more worried about Ren's injured hand than anything else right now.

"Thanks," Horo said upon closing the door behind him and quickly taking off his shoes before following Ren into the beautifully decorated kitchen. Horo looked down to the Chinese's hand again, clenching his teeth together to prevent from asking any sudden questions.

"Since you're here, help me make dinner," Ren said, quickly taking off the bloody bandage and rinsing the deep cut under some water before rebandaging it clean again.

"Um...what are you making?" Horo questioned, looking around then to the bags.

"Stir-fry," Ren said, quickly digging into the nags fr the freshly cut meat that he just bought. "You're going to stay for dinner, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Horo smiled faintly, quickly digging into the bags to find anything he could help prep. "Thanks again, Ren." What seemed like an awkward night turned out to be a lot less awkward than they both thought. A little food fight had actually started about twenty minutes into cooking because Horo had tripped and threw half of his chopped greens onto Ren. After their wonderful dinner, Ren had offered Horo the shower first, so Horo was off to the bathroom to get that kitchen smell off.

"I'll wash your clothes while you're showering alright?" Ren questioned the Ainu as he began to strip himself right in front of the Chinese.

"Sure, that'd actually be great," Horo said with a huge smile while wrapping a towel around his waist before taking off his boxers. "Hey, thanks for the shower again," Horo gave him one last grin before leaning the younger male with the pile of abandoned clothes.

Ren sighed with a tint of pink on his cheeks, he's never seen another male strip in front of him before. Quickly shaking his head, he picked up the pile of dirty clothes to take it to the wash.

Horo took his record time of forty-eight minutes in the shower, steam following him out of the bathroom as beads of water still remained on his smooth and finely toned skin. His hair slightly down though another towel held it up like a bandanna.

"Ren," he softly said, peeking into the other's room, "I'm done, you can go shower now." His wide grin was back. Something about that grin always made Ren feel so...what's the word, at ease?

"Your clothes are still in the dryer," Ren merely stated, standing from his sitting position on his bed with a towel and new clothes in hand. "It should be done soon." He quickly walked by him, rushing into the steamy bathroom as the blush on his face darkened.

Horo shrugged it off before walking downstairs to sit on the couch to watch some television...still in just his towel. In about five minutes, the front door opened, which startled him, causing him to slightly jump, but upon realizing it was just Ran, he quickly gave her a gentle smile.

"Welcome home, I was helping Ren cook dinner. We already ate but we made more than enough for you too," Horo said, standing to greet her as he bowed ever so slightly.

She just stared at him quizzically, wondering why he was naked in a towel in her house...alone with her son. The stood there in silence, the awkwardness finally hitting Horo as a deep blush crossed his face. The bathroom door clicked open and the steam made it's way out the bathroom first before the thin Chinese figure stepped out, fully clothed with a towel around his neck.

"Mom..." he gave them both a blank stare, seeing the blush on Horo's face and the shock on his mother's . "No, it's-"

"Horo was just telling me about dinner. Thank you Ren, thank you too Horo." She smiled sheepishly, "You two must be tired from today's activities, why don't you sleep over Horo?"

"No, I'm fine. My dad would be worried sick if I don't go home tonight." His blush deepened as he scratched his head in nervousness, slowly glancing up at Ren. "...that is, unless he doesn't mind."

"Ren? Of course he wouldn't mind, he'd love for you to stay. More bonding time for you two, just don't make too much noise now," She let out a nervous laugh, quickly leaving to the kitchen.

"What did you two talk about?" Ren quickly questioned, glaring down to Horo.

"I...um..." he gulped, adverting his gaze away from those golden orbs and anything but that beautifully slim body underneath that over-sized t-shirt and those basketball shorts. "We didn't talk about anything. I was just telling her that we made dinner and ate already."

"Horo-" Ren started but was rudely interrupted by the dryer's loud beep, signaling that Horo's clothes were done drying. "Ah, just call your dad if you want or leave, whichever choice you want."

"It's okay, my dad won't worry. I usually end up sleeping over Yoh and Hao's when I'm out all night so they won't worry." He smiled faintly, the awkward silence falling over them again and Horo just slowly turned around. "I'll go get my clothes."

Ren let out a deep sigh once Horo was gone, he hoped that his mom wasn't thinking what he thought she was thinking. Anyways, he made his way to the room and began setting up another bed on the ground as he awaited for Horo's arrival.

"So we're really going to sleep in the same room?" Horo questioned, stepping into the room now fully dressed in his school uniform except for the bow.

"I'll sleep on the floor you can get the bed," Ren stated without even looking back at the Ainu.

"No no, you're still injured so you should get the bed. Plus, I'm bigger than you so the hardwood floor won't hurt me as much," he grinned faintly, walking up behind Ren.

"Whatever, if you say so," Ren didn't even hesitate to take the bed. He quickly jumped on the bed with a satisfied look as he began to tuck himself in.

"Hey Ren..." Horo started as he, too, crawled into his bed. Ren didn't answer so he just continued anyways, "How did you get that cut on your hand?" He questioned, sitting up looking at the Chinese's back.

"My mom's vase broke last night and I was cleaning it up," he said, voice numb as he shifted a little. "It's no big deal, just a little cut."

"But it looks pretty bad."

"Good night Horo." Ren quickly ended the conversation.

"Good night..." Horo said in defeat, pulling the covers over him with a slight pout. Ren's golden orbs stared at the blank wall before him, his mind distracted with the day's activities. Hours passed and still, the sleepiness wasn't getting the better of him then suddenly, the bed rocked slightly as another weight was added.

"Ren, are you still awake?" The Ainu questioned, leaning closer to the younger male as his breathe was felt on the pale skin.

"Now I am," Ren stated, turning around as his face laid inches away from the other's. "What are you doing so close?" He questioned, quickly moving back.

"Honestly," he leaned in closer, taking hold of the younger boy's wrists so he won't be able to attack or struggle as much, "You look really cute in that."

"Horo, this isn't funny, stop it!" He shouted, squirming out of the others grip. "Get a-" his words were muffled into the other's lips as they clashed together in a headed kiss.

* * *

Yea...weird ending, but I know where I want it to end. Review please and thank you. And once again, sorry for the UBER late update...I decided that an anual update wasn't a bad idea, lol...so here I am, doing my anual update. I'm kidding, I'll try to update more than once a year, hopefully. Anyways, thanks again! Your reviews inspire me beyond any written words can describe! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!


End file.
